Time and place: Stuart Broad

Mum said telly just wasn’t cricket, so I had a ball outside instead

When I was nine, we moved into a new house in the village of Whissendine, near
Rutland. There was mum, a teacher, my older sister, Gemma, and me — my
parents had split up by then. [Stuart’s father is the former England batsman
Chris Broad.]

It was a fantastic house to grow up in because, to the side of our garden,
there was a working windmill. It was always easy to get friends to come
round. I’d just say, “Let’s go to the windmill.” What little boy wouldn’t
love watching the mechanics of all those moving parts? We were allowed
inside the windmill, and we could see for miles around when we climbed to
the top.

The village was full of kids who enjoyed sports. I’d spend most of my days
running around outside — there would always be a game of football on the go.
Mum wouldn’t let me have a